It can’t be said often enough. A jazz vocalist who thinks outside the
proverbial box stands apart from those who simply cover the standards.
Jackie Gage uses a mix of styles as well as fresh arrangements, a few
lesser-known songs and new compositions to establish herself as one who
stands apart with, Siren Songs (First Orbit Sounds, 2016).

Gage enjoys an a cappella scat to introduce the classic, “That Old Black
Magic.” When the instruments join in, the song takes on a soulful
groove. Gage’s vocal straddles the line between Ella Fitzgerald and
Natalie Cole. She sings with joy and verve. The string quartet, The
Juxtapositions Chamber Ensemble, assist on selected tracks. They are
Ilana Thomas and Kristina Dutton, violins; Su Buchignani, viola; and
Freya Seeburger, cello.

Vado brings us into the first of three original songs in the set, “It’s
Your Love.” It’s a mellow, downshifted ballad. The overlapping echoes of
the chorus add a haunting element. “Never have I come so far / to make
someone else my star / ’til I met you,” she sings. The band plays
elegantly behind her through verse and chorus. But during the middle
break, when Gage’s tone changes, each player injects some exclamation
points to augment the lyrics.

Gage co-wrote three songs with William Bohrer. Wat contributed to one of
those.

With two brief interludes, the nine tracks of Siren Songs are
Gage’s presentations of love and loss. She arranged the two standards,
“That Old Black Magic” and “Afro Blue.”

Gage is a native of San Jose, California. The 25-year-old recently moved
to New York, but returns to her home state annually with tours from
Sacramento to San Diego. As a 2014 Jazz Search West finalist,
she was awarded performances at nationally recognized venues, Yoshi’s in
Oakland, the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley and the Sound Room in
Oakland. She has performed at the Fillmore Jazz Festival, San Jose
Summer Fest and Berkeley Juneteenth, among others.